2016 budget: Buhari may get final copy today

President Muhammadu Buhari may get the clean copy of the 2016 budget today.
This came to light yesterday as the leadership of the National Assembly and a select group from the executive arm began a meeting aimed at achieving a consensus on 2016 budget final copy.
The meeting, which had been agreed to by both camps and co-ordinated by the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, had a single agenda of making the budget bill available for presidential assent by Wednesday.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had at the weekend assured that the budget would be signed the president this week.
Before proceeding to the venue of the meeting which was held outside the National Assembly, the delegation from the National Assembly had met with the leadership of the Assembly to get a final position to be presented at the meeting.
A source very close to all the arrangements to get the budget issues resolved, disclosed yesterday that the grey areas were being gradually reduced to the satisfaction of all parties.
A presidency source said: “We have received a copy for preview. We are meeting with them about 3 to 4pm, because it was to be consensual working. Ministers will look at what they have done so that it will be agreed fully that this is what will be presented.”
He stated that “the assurance that budget would be signed today will be kept because the Vice President is the head of the economic team.
“The grey areas are being eliminated one by one. And Nigerians will be happy when the budget is passed. They are being eliminated and reduced. It will be a budget for Nigeria made by Nigerians,” he added.
The source said that the executive wanted to make sure that the budget meetings and discussions were done properly so as to keep each other’s powers intact.
“The executive has its powers, very enormous; the small powers of the legislature should be preserved. So in matters like these, it is the legislature that is the oga. So, we the executive have to respond. We are the ones begging them to pass budget, therefore they approve of the venues of the meetings.”